Skeining-machine



M. 0. CLAUSS.

SKEINING MACHINEw APPLICATION FILED DEC-23,1619.

Patented D l .31- B L f ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

MAX OTTO GLAUSS, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO THE CLARK THREAD COM- BANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SKEINING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 27, 1921.

Application filed December 23, 1919. Serial No. 346,836.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX Orro Games, a citizen of Germany, and a resident of the borough of the Bronx, county of the Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skeining-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to skeining machines and moreparticularly to mechanism for automatically ositioning the skein holders to receive the t read windings.

In my prior application filed August 1, 1919, Serial No. 314,647, I have disclosed a novel method of winding the thread into skeins and in a second pending application I have shown and described an improved holder for the skein windings, while in a third application filed September 18, 1919, Serial No.'324,530, I have disclosed an improved mechanism for winding the thread upon the holders in accordance with said method. i

The subject matter of the present application comprises a mechanism functionally correlated to the winding mechanism whereby the series of skein holders are automatically moved upon the completion of each skein and successively positioned to receive the thread in the continued operation of the winding mechanism. In accomplishing this purpose, the skein holders are mounted in spaced relation to each other upon an endless carrier, preferably, though not necessarily ill the. form of an endless flexible chain or chains engaged upon suitably spaced sprockets.

This invention further contemplates a novel mechanism geared to the power shaft of the skein winding mechanism andyoperated in timed relation therewith to impart intermittent movements to said carrier of uniform definite length whereby the holders will be precisely and accurately positioned to" successively receive the thread without in terruption in the operation of the winding mechanism.

Itis also an important object of my invention to provide means for automatically controlling the operation of a skein binding mechanism from the carrier operating mechanism sothat the several mechanisms constituting the skeiningmachine will be properly coordinated to perform the several op erations.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the provision of an improved mechanism as above characterized, and in the form, construction, and relative arrangement of its several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and subse quently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure l-is a side elevation, illustrating the actuating mechanism for the endless carrier and showing the operating connections between this mechanism, the power shaft of the skein winding mechanism and the binder operating shaft.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view showing the carrier shaft and the arrangement of the skein holders upon the endless carrier.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates a frame plate of the skeining machine. In this plate one end of the carrier shaft 6 is journaled. The endless carrier 1 upon which the skein holders are mounted may be of any desired form, but as herein shown consists of spaced chains 7 engaged upon the sprockets 8 which are fixed on the shaft 6. The skein holders 9 mounted upon these spaced chains are longitudinally spaced from each other. The holders 9 are preferably of the construction disclosed in my 00- pending application to which reference may be had for a detail description thereof.

Upon a stud l0 suitably fixed in the frame plate 5, a disk 11 is loosely mounted to freely rotate, said disk having a hub 12 provided with a sprocket pinion 13 with which an endless drive chain 141 is engaged. On the carrier shaft 6 a Geneva gear 15 isfixed, said gear having the usual radial slots 16 and the concave peripheral faces 17. between said slots. With these concave faces 17 the periphery of the disk 11 is adapted to engage. This disk at its edge is cut out or recessed as at 18 to receive the slotted portions of the gear 15 in the relative rotation of said gear and disk, as will more fully appear from the following description.

The frame plate 5 is formed with a depending portion 19 in the lower end of which the power shaft 20 of the skein winding mechanism (not shown) is journaled. This skein winding mechanism, being fully disclosed in my prior application, Serial No. 324,530, above referred to, need not be herein described in detail.

The winding machine is also equipped with a mechanism for applying a binder to the completed skeins. The particular construction of this binding mechanism constitutes no part of the present application, and for the purposes of this explanation, it will suiiice to refer to the binder operating shaft 21 which is likewise j ournaled in the frame plate 5. Upon the operating shaft 20 for the skein winding mechanism a sprocket pinion 22 is fixed, while a relatively large sprocket wheel 24'is loosely mounted on the binder operating shaft 21. These sprockets are connected with the sprocket pinion 13 of the disk 11 by means of the endless drive chain 14, so that the several connected parts are operated in unison and at the requisite predetermined speed ratio.

In the operation of the machine, it is desirable that the carrier on which the skein holders 9 are mounted shall be held stationary while the thread is being wound thereon and against casual movement andsaid holders successively moved to position to receive the thread upon the completion of a predetermined number of winding evolutions on'eachholder. To this end I have provided a novel automatically controlled means to eoaet with the Geneva gear 15 and impart an intermittent step by step movement to the endless carrier. One embodiment of'this actuating means for the carrier comprises a lever 26 which is pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends upon a pin or stud 27 fixed'in one face of the disk 11 adjacent to its periphery. This lever is longitudinally curved as shown in Fig. 1 and on one end is formed with an angular inwardly projecting arm 28 having a terminal pin 29 thereon. Upon the other end of the lever 26 a roller 30 is mounted, said roller beingnormally disposed out of engagement with the Geneva gear and in the recess 18 within the edge of the disk and yieldingly maintained'in this normal position by means of a leaf spring 31 carried by the disk 11 and coacting with a lug on the arm 28. A pin 32 fixed in the face of the disk 11 acts as a stop to limit the movement of the lever against the action of the spring 31 whereby the roller 30 is moved to a position beyond the periphery of the disk to coact with the Geneva gear as seen in Fig. 1.

Upon the stud 10 a collar 33 is fixed by means of a set screw 34, and this collar is provided with a radially projecting arm 35 having an angular flange 36 projecting toward the face of the disk and disposed in concentric relation with the stud 10. With this flange, a pin 29 on the lever arm 28 is adapted to coact in the manner and for the purpose which will be presently described. The lever 26 is further provided at the outer end of the arm 28 with a lug 37 with which an operating part is adapted to be intermittently engaged.

A second stud 38 is fixed in the plate 5 and upon this stud a disk 39 is loosely mounted. A hub 40 projects from one side of this disk in opposed relation to a collar 41 on the stud 38 and said disk is held against casual rotative movement by means of the spring 42 interposed between the hub 40 and the collar 41. To the opposite -side face of the disk 39 a gear 43 is detachably secured by means of screws 44. An arm 45 is split at one end as indicated at 46 in Fig. 1 and has resilient frictional engagement upon the stud 38. The frictional contact is suflicient to prevent casual movement of the arm on the stud and yet permit of its positive operation relative to the disk 39. The arm 4-5 is held upon the stud against longitudinal shifting movement thereon by means of the stop collar 47. Upon the outer end of the arm 45 a dog 48 is pivoted as at 49. This dog is provided with two arms extending approximately at right angles to each other, and the longer arm terminates in an inwardly projecting finger 50 which is adapted for engagement between the teeth of the gear 43. To the other arm of the dog 48 one end of a rod 51 is pivotally connected. The other end of this rod has an eccentric pivotal connection 52 with the disk 5 3 which is fixed upon the power or operating shaft 20 of the skein winding mechanism. Through the medium of this rod 51, the dog 48 is actuated and moved into or out of coacting relation with the teeth of the gear 43. A stop pin 54 is fixed in the end of the arm 45 to limit the pivotal movement of the dog 48 thereon to an inactive position with respect to the gear 43.

The disk 39 is provided at its periphery with a plurality of spaced openings 55 in which pins 56 are adapted to be rcmovably inserted. The arrangement of these pins and the number thereof will depend upon the number of winding evolutions which it is desired shall make up each completed skein and as the arrangement and number of said pins is changed or varied, a gear 43 having a different number of teeth must be employed. Therefore, a plurality of these gears is provided and adapted to be interchangeably mounted upon the face of the disk 39.

Upon a pin or arbor 57 fixed in the frame plate 5 a lever 58 is loosely mounted for rocking movement. This lever is formed with a long tapering arm 59, the extremity of which is adapted to engage upon the up per side of the lug 37 on the lever 26. The lever 58 also includes a relatively short arm 60 projecting from the opposite side of its pivot 57 and terminating in the angular finger 61 with which the pins 56 carried by the disk 39 are adapted to successively engage. The lever at the juncture of its arms 59 and 60 is formed with a boss 62 surrounding the arbor 57 and to said boss one end of a coiled spring 63 is attached, the other end of said spring being fixed in the frame plate 5. A collar 64 is also fixed upon the arbor 57 on the opposite side of the lever and has an arm 65 in which a stop pin 66 is fixed, said pin projecting over the upper edge of the lever arm 59 and acting to limit the movement of said lever to a normal position under the action of the spring 63.

Upon the binder operating shaft 21 an arm 67 is fixed, and a pivoted latch member 68 is carried by said arm. A leaf spring 69 coacting with said latch member tends to urge one end thereof into operative engagement with one of the series of spaced pins 70 which are fixed in the end of the hub 24; on the sprocket wheel 24. In the other end of the latch member 68 a pin 71 is fixed and with this pin the upwardly projecting terminal hook 73 on the arm 72 of a lever mount- 1 ed on the rod 7 4 fixed in the plate 5, is adapted to engage.

This lever is also provided with a second upwardly ;)rojecting arm 75 and upon the upper end of said arm a roller 76 is mounted. A collar 77 fixed on the end of therod 74 carries a stop pin 78 to limit the movemnt of the lever in one direction under the action of a spring 79 surrounding the rod 7 and having one of its ends fixed to the boss 80 on said lever and its other end secured to the plate 5.

Upon the carrier shaft 6 a disk 81 is fixed, and this disk is provided on one face with the spaced pins 82 which are adapted to engage the roller 76 on the lever arm 75 and actuate said lever to release the pivoted latch member 68. i

The mode of operation of the above described mechanism is as follows :-As shown in Fig. 1, the disk 39 is provided with four of the cquidistantly spaced pins 56 and the gear 4-3 has twenty teeth. It will therefore be understood that with this arrangement, each skein will consist of five complete windings in accordance, with the method disclosed in r Y prior application Serial No. 314,647 shove referred to. I11 each revolution of the power shaft 20 for the winding mechanism, during which time one winding evolution is completed, the dog 48 is actuated through the medium of the connecting rod 51, and in the upward movement of said rod the dog is moved relative to the arm 4 1-5 until it engages the stop pin 54, when the arm is then moved upwardly upon the fixed stud 38. When the rod 51 is moved in the opposite direction, there is first a relative movement of the dog 48 with respect to the arm to engage the end of the dog with the teeth of the gear a3. In the con tinued movement of the rod 51, the arm 45 and the disk 39 are moved as a unit upon the stud 38 for the distance of one tooth of the gear 43. When five of these intermittent movements of the disk 39 have been complated, one of the pins 56 engages the finger 61 on. the lever arm and said lever is rocked on the arbor 57, so that the other arm thereof will exert a downward pressure on the lug 37 of lever 26 which has been" brought to a position immediately beneath the lever arm. This movement of the lever is limited by the stop pin 32, whereby the roller 30 carried by the lever is positioned beyond the periphery of the disk 11, so that in the continued rotation of said disk this roller will enter one of the slots 16 of the Geneva gear 15. The pin 29 on the lever arm 28 engaging beneath the flange 36 on the fixed collar 33 prevents a return movement of the lever 26 to its normal position under the action of the spring 31 after the lug 37 has moved beyond the end of the lever arm 59; Thus the flange 36 acts as a lock to eperatively connect the lever 30 with the Geneva gear.

Normally, or during the formation of a skein, the sprocket 24; rotates freely on the shaft 21, so that the skein binding mechanism is not actuated, the latch member 68 being held out of the path of movement of the pin 70 by thehook 7 3 on the lever arm 72. When the roller 30 enters the slot 16 in the gear 15 and rotation is imparted to the shaft 6, one of the pins 82 on disk 81 contacts with the roller 76 on the upper end of lever arm 75 and prevents a too rapid rotation of the shaft 6 which might be caused by vibration and gravity movement due to lost motion, so that said carrier shaft will be actuated in properly synchronized relation with the disk 11 and the radially projecting arms of the gear 15 will enter the recess or cavity 18 in said disk witl'iout binding or in any way impeding the relative movement of the parts. The pin riding over the roller 76 moves the lever against the action of the spring 79 so that "the hook 733 on the lever arm 72 i s disc! raged from the pin 71 and the spring 69 then acts to position the end of the latch monilrzer 68 in the path of the pins 70. One of these pins engaging the end of the latch member effects a rotation of the shaft 21 through the medium of the fixed arm 67 whereliiy the milder mechanism is actuated and a previously formed skein is bound. The spring 7 9 immediately returns the lever arm 72 to normal position after the pin 82 is disen Jed from the roller 76, so that thehm or 73 will be engaged by the pin 71 on the latch member 68 when one revolution of the binder shaft 21 is completed, whereby the binding mechanism will again be thrown out ofoperation. In this manner, it will be seen that the carrier upon which the holders 9 are mounted is moved exactly the desired predetermined distance so as to displace the holder upon which the winding of the sk ein has just been completed and move the next holder into position to receive the subsequent skein windings. During this operation of the endless carrier, the operation of the winding mechanism is continuous and uninterrupted. By changing the number and arrangement of the pins 56 upon the disk 39 and providing a gear 43 with the requisite number of teeth, the intermittent operations of the carrier may be regulated and controlled so that any desired number of winding evolutions may be incorporated in each thread skein.

From the foregoing description consid ered in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be observed that by means of a relatively simple arrangement of the cooperating elements, lhave succeeded in producing a very positive and accurately operating mechanism for imparting to the endless carrier intermittent movements at the expiration of spaced intervals or time of exactly the required length to properly position the holders in succession so that they will receive and hold the skein windings. This mechanism may be very rapidly operated and therefore provides means which will greatly increase quantity production with a correspondingly decreased operating cost.

While, in a actual practice, the improved mechanism as illustrated in the accompanying drawing has given very satisfactory results, it is of course possible to accomplish the same end by means of other combinations and arrangements of parts within the scope of the invention which may differ in many respects from that above described. It is also possible to utilize my present invention in connection with many dilferent forms of carriers for the skein holders. Thus, for instance, instead of using the end less flexible chains, these holders might be mounted and arranged upon a large disk. Accordingly it is to be understood that while I have herein shown and described one practical embodiment of the invention, the mechanism may also be exemplified in numerous other alternative constructions and I therefore reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the several parts as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as'new is 1. In a skeining machine, in combination with the operating shaft for the skein winding mechanism, an endless carrier, a plurality of spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier, a shaft for the carrier, a gear element fixed on said carrier shaft, a revoluble actuating member for said gear element normally disposed out of engagement with said gear element, means for driving said actuating member from the operating shaft, and means for automatically moving said member in each revolution thereof to cause the same to coact with the gear clcment and thereby impart a step by step movement to the carrier to successively position the holders to receive the thread winding.

111 a skeining machine, in combination with the operating shaft for the skein winding mechanism, an endless carrier, a plurality of spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier, a shaft for the carrier, a gear element fixed on said carrier shaft, :1 revoluble actuating member for said gear eh ment normally disposed out oi: engagement with said gear element, means for driving said actuating member from the operating shaft, and means for automatically moving said member in each revolution thereof to cause the same to coact with the g ar element and thereby impart a step by step movement to the carrier to successively position the holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operatively connected with said operating shaft and actuated in timed relation thereto.

3. In a slteining machine, in combination with an operating shaft for the win-ding mechanism, and a binder actuating shalt, means for moving a skein holder to a position to receive the thread winding, means operatively connecting said holder moving means to each or said sha-i'ts, said last named means including an automatically actuated connecting and disconnecting device to intermittently effect the operation of the binder actuating shaft.

4:. In a slreining machine, in combination with a binder actuating sha'lt, m ans l'or nioi 'ing a slrein holder to a position to receive the thread winding, and means operatively connecting said holder moving means to the binder actuating sha'lt, said means including a device for interrupting the operation of the binder shaft.

5. In a skeining machine, in combination with a linder actuating shaft. means for moving a skein holder to a position to receive the thread winding, and means operatively connecting said holder moving means to the binder actuating shaft, said means including a device normally preventing opcration of the binder actuating shaft and having a part automatically actuated by a part of said holder moving means to thereby effect the actuation 01'? said shaft.

6. In a skeining machine, a carrier, spaced skein holders lnounted on said carrier, and

termined intervals of time.

7. In a skeining machine, a carrier, spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier, and means for intermittently moving said carrier to successively position said holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operatively connected with the carrier, a constantly rotating actuating element for said part, means geared to a constantly active instrumentality oi the machine to move said element with respect to said part, and means for operatively engaging said element with said part at the expi ration of predetermined intervals of time.

8. In a skeining machine, a carrier, spaced slroin holders mounted onsaid carrier, and means for intermittently moving said carrier to successively position said holders to receive the thread Winding, said means in cluding a part operatively connected to the carrier, an actuating element for said part, means for operatively engaging said element with said part at the expiration oi predetermined intervals of time, and means to lock said element in operative engagement with said part.

9. In a skeining machine, a carrier, spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier, and means for intermittently moving said carrier to successively position said holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operatively connected to the carrier, an actuating element for said part,

means geared to a constantly active instru- -mental1ty of the machine to continuously move said element with respect to said part, means for operatively engaging said element with said part at the expiration of predetermined intervals of time, and means to lock said element in operative engagement with said part.

10. In a skeining machine, a carrier, spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier, means for intermittently moving said carrier to successively position said holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operatively connected to the carrier, a constantly rotating actuating element for said part, means normally holding said element out of coacting relation with said part, and means for operatively engaging said element With said part at the expiration of predetermined intervals of time.

11. In a skeining machine, a carrier, spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier, means for intermittently moving said carrier to successively position said holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operatively connected to the carrier, an actuating element for said part, means normally holding said element out of coacting relation to said part, means for operatively engaging said element with said part at the expiration of predetermined. intervals 01'' time, and means to lock said element in operative engagement with said part.

12. In a Slreining machine, a carrier, spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier, and means for intermittently moving said carrier to successively position said holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operativ connected with the carrier, a constantly dri n actuatlng element i'or said part nor disengaged thereirom, and means autrinatically controlled and actuated by an in ity of the skeining machine for oper s engaging said element with said pa expiration of predetermined intervals time.

13. In a slieining machine, a carrier, spaced sl'rein holders mounted on said carrier, means for intermittently moving said carrier to succer'sively position said holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operatively connected with the carrier, an actuating element or said part, means geared to a constantly active sli'eining machine for operatively engaging said element with said part at the evpw ,llJlOll of predetermined intervals of time.

14. In a sl'ieining machine, a carrier, spaced skein holders mounted on said carrier and means for intermittently moving said carrier to successively position said holders to receive the thread winding, said means including a part operatively connected to the carrier, an actuating element for said part, and means for (naeratively engaging said element with said part at the eX- piration of predetermined intervals of time, said means constructed to permit of the variation in the number of thread windings constituting a skein completed by the wind ing mechanism during such time intervals. 15. In a skeining machine, in combination with an operating shaft for the skein winding mechanism and a binder actuating shaft, a carrier, a plurality of skein holders mounted on said carrier, means for impart-' vice comprising a latch member and a spring held trip lever for said latch member, and means yieldably coacting with said lever to prevent the casual movement of said carrier.

16. In a skeining machine, in combination with an operating shaft for the skein winding mechanism and a binder actuating shaft, a carrier, a plurality of skein holders mounted on said carrier, means for impart ing an intermittent movement to the carrier to successively dispose the holders in position to receive the thread winding, means operatively connecting the carrier moving means to each of said shafts, said last named means including a device for interrupting the operation of the binder shaft, said device comprising a latch member and a spring held trip lever for said latch member, and means yieldably coacting with said lever to prevent the casual movement of said earrie and to actuate said lever to thereby efi eet an operative movement of the binder shaft. 17. In a skeining machine, a carrier, a shaft on which the carrier is mounted, skein holders mounted on the carrier, a Geneva gear fixed on the carrier shait, a constantly rotating disk, means for rotating the disk, a lever on the disk normally disengaged from the gear and means actuated at timed intervals to position the lever to operatively 'coact with the gear to move the carrier.

18. In a skeining machine, a carrier, a shaft on which the carrier is mounted, skein holders mounted on the carrier, a Geneva gear fixed on the carrier shait, a constantly ro ating disk, means for rotating the disk a lever mounted on the disk having a roll normally carried in a depression in the disk to be out of coacting relation with the gear, a second disk, means for imparting movement to the second disk, and means controlled by the second disk for actuating the lever to move the roll to a position to coact with the Geneva gear to move the carrier.

19. in a skeining machine, a carrier, a shaft on which the carrier is mounted, skein holders mounted on the carrier. a Geneva gear fixed on the shaft, einistantly rotating means for actuating the Geneva gear normally held out of engagement therewith, a disk having spaced pins in its periphery, means for rotating the disk, and a lever adapted to be engaged by the pins to position the gear actuating means to coaet with the gear to move the carrier.

20. In a skeining machine, a carrier, a shaft on which the carrier is mounted, skein holders mounted on the carrier, at Geneva gear fixed on the carrier shaft, means for actuating the gear normally held out of engagement therewith, a disk having spaced pins thereon, a ratchet device for rotating the disk, and a lever controlled by the pins to position the gear actuating means to coact with the gear to move the carrier.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereunder.

MAX OTTO CLAUSS. 

